Archie chooses Veronica?
Could it be a dream? A hoax? An imaginary story?
Teen comic star Archie Andrews is set to propose to Veronica Lodge in Archie #600. I’m hoping this is a swerve, because you always hoped Archie would come around and see that Betty Cooper was the better choice! This story is set after Archie’s college days and is written by movie producer Michael Uslan. What do you think?
See the full release from Archie Comics after the break.
Did AT&T sway American Idol results?
A New York Times story indicates AT&T may have influenced Kris Allen’s victory in American Idol by providing cell phones to Arkansas-based fans of the singer, and providing instructions on how to “power text,” sending up to 10 messages at a time. AT&T’s mobile service is the only service allowed to vote via text message; AT&T is a sponsor of “American Idol.”
I’ve heard anecdotally that there were an awful lot of votes cast from the state of Arkansas – this could add another piece to the puzzle of what many consider to be the biggest “upset” in reality-show history.
– Matt Price
Reminder: Comics on Thursday
Due to the Memorial Day holiday, comic books are shipping to comic-book stores on Thursday of this week. So, you’ve got another day to wait for your new comics. They are expected to include the conclusion of the long-delayed “Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk” and the shipped-out-of-order “Wolverine” #72, however.
- Matt Price
Prototype races to top of GameFly Top 10
The action-adventure game “Prototype” from Activision takes the top spot on the GameFly Top 10 List for the week ending May 26, 2009. After one week at the top, Sony’s Infamous falls to No. 2.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choices from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1 Prototype PS3, Xbox 360 Action Adventure Activision
2 Infamous PS3 Action Adventure Sony Computer Entertainment
3 UFC 2009 Undisputed PS3, Xbox 360 Fighting THQ
4 Terminator: Salvation PS3, Xbox 360 Action Adventure WB Games
5 X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Uncaged Edition PS3, Xbox 360 Action Adventure Activision
6 Bionic Commando PS3, Xbox 360 Action Adventure Capcom
7 Red Faction: Guerilla PS3, Xbox 360 Shooter THQ
8 Punch-Out!! Wii Fighting Nintendo
9 Ghostbusters PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2 Action Adventure Atari
10 Modern Warfare 2 PS3, Xbox 360 Shooter Activision
Source: www.GameFly.com.
More lists after the break.
(more…)
A new Buffy, without Joss Whedon?
The producers of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie are looking to reboot the franchise in a new movie without the participation of creator Joss Whedon, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the Buffy concept could be rebooted, has enough time really passed to do this? And is doing it without Joss Whedon the way to go? Competing against the “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” TV show is going to be tough sledding, and, where do you go with it? Do you bring in characters like Angel and Spike, who didn’t exist in the original movie? According to the article, there are no plans to do so. So do you bring in Buffy and a whole new supporting cast? What are your thoughts?
- Matt Price
Comics Q&A: The Terminator
Kyle Roberts and I discuss the Terminator comics throughout the years. A few things ended up being omitted, like the availability of the current IDW comics on the iPhone, and the Frank Miller-Walt Simonson RoboCop vs. Terminator comic-book series. Kyle did throw in some art from RoboCop vs. Terminator, so we got it in that way, and I’ll probably write a longer story about how the IDW Terminator Salvation prequel is available as an iPhone app. I also forgot to mention that the Alex Ross Terminator story, “The Burning Earth,” which came out from NOW, was in print as a graphic novel at one point, but is now out of print again.
Click past the cut for some “Terminator” comics art.
- Matt Price
T2 Blu-ray update stays true to original
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2
THE NEXT LEVEL
While both “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” have now updated the visual effects of their original incarnations, don’t expect the same from “Terminator.”
Van Ling, the producer of the new Blu-ray “Skynet Edition” of “Terminator 2,” said it’s exciting to create new ways of presenting information, but creating new effects or adding characters could be a slippery slope.
Van Ling
“There is a theory that says that artforms should evolve but artworks should not because they represent a moment in time and have meaning as such,” Ling said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “Creative works are not like refrigerators that you can just replace with a newer model every few years.”
Movies and television are our cultural memories, and just because we can change them with digital technology doesn’t mean we should, Ling said.
“It’s one thing to make revisions and treat it as an alternate version of the original work; it’s another thing entirely to replace that original work with the ‘new and improved’ version as if the original never existed,” he said. “It’s very Orwellian – or Terminatoresque – in the idea that you go back and change the past to have control over the present and the future.”
That doesn’t mean there aren’t new ways to present films. On the T2 Skynet Edition, the Blu-ray allows viewers to call up storyboards, script or production information and video segments while the movie is playing.
“Interestingly, some of the things we’ve done for the new T2 Skynet Edition are things that I had wanted to do with T2 even as far back as the early ’90s with CD-ROM format but never got a chance to try,” Ling said. “And now we can do it with much better picture and sound quality.”
More from The Oklahoman interview with Van Ling available here.
By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
Sweet fan-made Green Lantern trailer
Check out this excellent fan-made trailer of a “Green Lantern” movie that would star Nathan Fillion (“Firefly”). My opinion? They should hire this guy and Fillion both to work on the movie. (I’m sure they’ll go younger, and someone not currently in a TV series for Hal Jordan, but wouldn’t Fillion be great at it?)
– Matt Price
Adam Lambert: Some interest in Queen
Appearing on FOX News, Adam Lambert said there was “some interest” in future performances with Queen, but said he would “plead the fifth” on any official announcements, says MJ’s Big Blog. Lambert said his upcoming plans include performing on the Idols tour, and recording an album.
See the entire clip below:
“Museum” tops “Terminator”
The Ben Stiller-starring “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $53.5 million. Terminator Salvation rang in $43 million in its opening frame, and Star Trek stayed strong at No. 3 with $22 million. “Salvation” opened very similar to its predecessor, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” but given ticket prices six years ago, did so by selling fewer tickets.
Here are the estimates from Box Office Mojo.
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, MAY 22-24, 2009
Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #
1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox)
$53.5 million | 4,096 | $53.5 million | 1
2. Terminator Salvation (Warner Bros.)
$43.0 million | 3,530 | $56.4 million | 1
3. Star Trek (Paramount)
$22.0 million | 4,053 | $183.6 million | 3
4. Angels & Demons (Sony / Columbia)
$21.4 million | 3,527 | $81.5 million | 2
5. Dance Flick (Paramount)
$11.1 million | 2,450 | $11.1 million | 1
Source: Box Office Mojo
(www.boxofficemojo.com)
